The one-month summer course took students out of the classroom and into the heart of downtown Fargo. Working from collaborative space in the Prairie Den, the group interviewed and met with city officials and players in the energy industry.

"That's one of the things that Dr. Zakhirova was really adamant about was getting away from the classroom and not seeing this as a class – seeing this as a group of people who want to make a difference," says Lacy Tooker-Kirkevold '18 of Andover, Minn.

An example of integrative learning, students were given a chance to engage in relevant, real-world, multidisciplinary research aimed at addressing real problems.

Video by Evan Balko

Published September 2016